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1.05.2012

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to pay our last respects to a 'friend' that has been dear to many musical artists, fans and readers....that 'friend' is HIP-HOP BEEF.”

What forward-moving purpose does Hip-Hop beef serve? Can someone please educate me?
I was a little thrown aback by the recent beef that spread quickly throughout the Internet and radio shows involving Common and Drake. Frankly, I found it pretty weak for Common, an artist I respect, to engage in such nonsense.

He supposedly took shots at Drake in his song “Sweet” from his newly released album The Dreamer, The Believer. I wasn’t impressed with the song; too much cursing. I wasn’t that impressed with the album either (I’m still listening to it though to see if my opinion will change).

No, I’m not siding with Drake. I don’t even listen to him much at all. I got his album along with Nikki Minaj’s just to see what all the hype was about. They didn’t move me. I just think they are doing an excellent job of mastering their moment.

Getting back to the eulogy for Hip-Hop Beef: I love Hip-Hop culture and trust me I've enjoyed true lyrical battles in our history but this mudslinging, name-calling, backbiting, buffoonery and randomly picking out other artists just for the heck of it has outlived its usefulness and has become a destructive force. The new trend now is grown men and women using Twitter to take shots instead of sitting down in person to solve our problems. I even read where Young Jeezy said one of his friends was killed due to an exchange of words on Twitter.

When it comes to Hip-Hop, I always sit and wonder who calculates when a beef should start? Who should be targeted? How long it should last? What dirt should be unveiled?
Do some artists start beef to make up for poor record sales? Are they thirsting that bad for publicity? Is their marketing and lyrical engine that weak that they need to start a beef to save their careers? If an artist has millions already, why waste time attacking people? Is it out of greed? Is there really a winner in a beef?

Nobody in Hip-Hop can deny that The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has been the most critical in putting an end to a lot of the beef in the genre. Back in 1997, Min. Farrakhan gathered a group of Hip-Hop artists at his home in Chicago to call a truce between East Coast and West Coast rappers. In attendance included Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Common (his name was Common Sense then), Tha Dogg Pound, Willie D, Fat Joe and more.

In 2001, Min. Farrakhan was the keynote speaker at the Hip-Hop Summit in New York hosted by Russell Simmons."Every time you use your rap song against another
rapper and the magazines publish your words, the people that love you
then turn on the people that you have spoken against. Then, the one you
spoke against speaks back against you and his group becomes inflamed
against you. When you are a rapper and you understand your leadership
role, you must understand that, with leadership comes responsibility.
You did not ask for it. It is imposed on you, but you now have to accept
responsibility that you have never accepted," Min. Farrakhan said to the packed room.

He added, "Your potential to change reality is so great that,
if you learned the skill of words and how to use words; if you learned
how to say what it is you want to say, but say it in a way that gains
universal respect, then the rap would evolve to an art form that will
never be replaced. It will evolve to be that form that will set the
stage for the next phase of its evolution."

In 2003, Min. Farrakhan sat down with Ja Rule in the midst of his heated feud with 50 Cent. In his conversation with Ja Rule, that aired on MTV and BET, Min. Farrakhan told Ja Rule not to give in to the pressure of his listeners who wanted him to keep dissing 50 Cent but rather "teach them that there's more to life than beef.

"A war is about to come down on the rap community. When you and 50 throw down, it goes all the way down into the streets. The media takes the beef between you and 50 and they play it, they jam it, they keep it going. Why would they keep something going that could produce bloodshed? There
is a bigger plot here, Ja, and this is what I want you and 50 and our
hip-hop brothers and sisters to see," said Min. Farrakhan.

Where would Hip-Hop be if they had fully implemented the guidance of this wise man? As for the beef, let's throw some dirt on the coffin and pay our last respects.

(If you want to be bored to death, follow Brother Jesse Muhammad on Twitter @BrotherJesse)

When it comes to lyrical skills, Drake can't compete but unfortunately Common should just stick to acting because his skills not evolving. Drake got more years ahead of him...on another note, I didn't know Farrakhan did all of that in hip-hop. So underreported!

Common too old for this junk. Dude, retire and go keep making your movies. Your skills ain't what they use to be. I don't think Drake is as cold either as everyone makes him out to be...but either way its childish for these cats to be beefing. This has the be the WEAKEST rap beef in music history....come on, son. Both of you all SWEET! LOL

Real talk, Farrakhan warned these cats and that's why hip-hop is not as strong as it should be by now because they didn't do what they said they would do. Most of them outright lied about changing their lyrics, videos, etc. It all was emotions...they deserve whatever comes to them by the music execs that keep pimping them! idiots

Drake is a beast Brother Jesse. You need to listen to him a little more. But I agree the beef is uncalled for these days. It's really boring to me. After the JayZ/Nas one, which I think was plotted by them, there hasn't been any interesting lyrical bouts. Rap music as a whole has me yawning any way....fighting over Serena? LMAO!!!!

Being from Toronto, I see it differently. Drake lives, and grew up, in Forest Hill. Understand, if you're middle-class, you can't afford to live in Forest Hill. You gotta be super rich. (You also gotta know) he was the only Black guy on his street.

What is Drake gonna tell me? - About the fight to survive the mean streets of Toronto?, or Doing what you gotta do to survive life in the "hood"??? Spare me the BS.

With all the great rap talent one can find in Toronto's poor Black communities, why does it have to be the billionaire boy who gets to be the "rap star"? He's rich already.

Just knowing the deal, Drake is the last person I want to hear rappin' about "scattering the N1gg3r's brains all over the corner." To hell with that stooge.

Big up to Common Sense. He's been keepin' it real since forever. Dis'um again.

I like competition, but it's rarely muture in hip-hop, sadly. If they were debating over styles and delivery (who did what first, etc. (See Luda/Drake)) I'd be fine. But talking about physically harming someone or even alluding to it is reckless.

Honestly? How did an article on Hip Hop Beef become another way to trumpet the greatness of Faracon. That brother said nothing about the beef between the Nation and Malcolm X.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou99aOFzup4

Do you rap. Do you DJ. Do you dance. All you do is write about hip hop. Competition has a place in hip hop as it always had in the African tradition. This could be healthy competition that I doubt will reach the insanity and paranoia that caused the death of a one of our Black warriors...

It's Hip-hop!!!!! During ancient times we battled over sexy black women Hell!! we battled over all kinds of things and knowledge.. When you say don‘t fight over a women. That’s sounds ridiculous! I think that‘s one thing to fight over is a human being. The love that you get from a particular person especially a black woman can never be matched. It’s the idea of knowing that that person loves your power and energy. That’s crazy cool. Another thing ,who said being to old means you can’t rap? We need to get off this being to old to rap. What is that???? If you have a mind and means to put thoughts out and you can rap, Rap!! It’s no age limit on your mind. When you turn 70,90 or how ever old you’re be you will still have a brain and thoughts! You gonna stop talking and voce your opinions because you old??????????????. Stop with this. Hip-hop is made up from the people with in urban areas and ruled by us. It's Hip-hop. It's the present warriors it’s the present philosophers

All of you ppl are lame and dont know shi+ about rap. Beefing proves who the best rapper is hands down. All rappers do today is talk about being number one then when a beef starts you fans are like naw stop the beef its stupid....no let them dudes show us who the best rapper out there is.

its a shame. i really don't see either of them beefing, thought we were over that. Here's a video of Common last night in Miami, can't we just keep it smooth!http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RCBzX_iEo2o